Nyhedsbrev

CBS President Johan Roos – here photographed at a CBS Town Hall meeting in March – is stepping up CBS' public struggle for more resources.

CBS president Johan Roos is tired of CBS being neglected when the public research and education funding is distributed among the Danish universities. He has begun to voice his opinion about the problem publically, and he will continue to do this, he stated at the CBS’ ‘Town Hall Meeting’, where the Leadership Team reviewed the progress of CBS’ strategy process.

External pressures affecting CBS’ internal developmentCBS’ economic prospects and the school’s seemingly permanent position in the low-income segment, when the government appropriations are distributed to university research and education, took center stage when CBS President Johan Roos presented the CBS strategy status review in Kilen Thursday October 28th. Here the Leadership Team were to take stock of CBS’ present situation and give pointers towards where we are going in the process of implementing CBS’ new strategy in order to ensure the greatest possible transparency and openness about the process.

- We are working as fast as possible while maintaining a strong focus delivering something that works. At the same time we are faced with the governments’ economic recovery plan having drastic consequences for the Danish universities. We face the challenge of having to work out both how to manage a changed economic situation and at the same time implementing a new strategy. So when we do, as we are doing, it as an expression of the art of the possible, Johan Roos explained to the 100-200 CBS-employees attending the ‘Town Hall Meeting’.

The political economic neglect of CBS must endJohan Roos continued his introduction to the meeting by making a point of the glaring contrast between CBS’ impressive standing and reputation abroad and the low recognition is afforded in Denmark:

- On the home front we are fighting for our continued survival, receiving both the lowest rates of government appropriations for our study programs and the smallest share of the appropriations for research and publication. It is a terrible situation, and I am taking the task of changing this on my shoulders, said Johan Roos, who has stepped up CBS’ lobbying efforts and taken direct contact to relevant politicians while seeking out allies among CBS’ close collaborators and key organizations in Danish business society:

- I am working to attract as much attention to CBS’ situation in the public debate as possible and I can tell you that many of the people I’ve had the discussion with so far have not been very comfortable discussing the matter. But it is necessary – CBS has reached its limit and is in a double pressure situation, Johan Roos pointed out and continued:

- Up until now CBS has sought to solve its economic problems through constant growth – by establishing more study programs and by taking in more students. We cannot continue to do this. So I am making a concentrated effort to get us the resources we need for the future in a different way. It is going to be a long journey and there will be no fast results – and it will not be everyone that will appreciate my efforts.

Stepping on the accelerator and the brake at the same timeAccording to Johan Roos it is essential for his efforts to succeed that the implementation of CBS’ new strategy clearly and actively demonstrates that CBS organizationally is working on establishing an effective and transparent an administration as is possible.

- It is a tricky tight-rope walk. On the one hand, we must step on the speeder and offer our surroundings ever better and more relevant study programs and research, and at the same time we have to step on the brakes and make hard choices. The politicians have to be sent a clear message about our need to have more resources allocated and at the same time we have to act and demonstrate that we can and will make ourselves a more efficient organization, Johan Roos stressed.